If you are like me, you are a new entrepreneur with dreams of expanding your crafty hobby into at least a part-time business that earns you at least a little monthly spending money--or more! You've spent countless hours drooling over gorgeous hand-made goods on Etsy. You follow numerous crafty blogs and Facebook pages. You've spent more time and energy than you can remember crafting and creating the perfect gift for family and friends. But you want more. You want a wider audience. You want to share the love and your passion with others.
So, you make your own Facebook page highlighting your craftiness. There, you think! This is the world wide web! I have the whole internet at my fingertips! And you invite your friends and your family to like and share your page. And a few will. Most won't. And, it's easy to become discouraged. You think to yourself, how will I ever sell anything if I can't even get my own friends and family to spread the word?
Well, friends, pay attention, because here are some very helpful tips I've learned this past week.
1) Don't keep waiting for the "Right Time" to open your own Etsy shop.
Do your research, yes. Decide what you want your shop theme to be. Research like shops, how much they list and ship items for. Who they follow, etc. And then MAKE YOUR SHOP AND PUT IT LIVE. The Etsy community is amazing! Once you have your shop open and ready for sells, JOIN TEAMS. Teams are a great way to promote and get your shop visible. Etsy is such a huge community, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. So, you need to network. You do this by liking (or favoriting items and shops as it's called on Etsy). Do this for as many shops and items as you can. And follow people. Because, Etsy artisans love to help each other out. The philosophy is "You promote me, and I'll promote you." Does this mean you will get a sale your first day? No. Does it mean you will get a sale your first week? No. Your first month? Not necessarily. But, the more you network, the more your product is out there, and the more people will see your stuff.
Create treasuries on Etsy. Treasuries are groups of 16 items linked together to form a sort of listed window shopping experience. Highlighting a person's item in a treasury is a huge compliment. It promotes their shop, and makes your shop visible as you are the curator. Make as many treasuries as you can. Again. You promote me, I will promote you.
I am not claiming to be the highest authority on Etsy. In fact, I just opened my shop a week ago. I had had a previous shop, but I was not prepared for it. Honestly, in the time I had it open, I believe I have had less traffic than I have had thus far. Since last Monday, and as of the moment I am writing this, I have had 258 views to my profile, 44 people admire my shop, and 232 different combinations of favorites (with 39 being the highest and 9 the lowest) of the 10 specific items currently listed in my shop. And, while I could be bummed because I haven't sold anything yet, I choose to be overjoyed because my Etsy networking is working!
2. Join Craft Groups on Facebook
I mentioned before that I was having a very hard time getting friends and family to like and share my FB page. I'd say only about 1/3 of my friend's list has actually "liked" it. And honestly, FB isn't the place to spend all your time and energy trying to promote your page. The biggest benefit, I think, to having a higher number of likes on Facebook, is when you link it to your Etsy shop, it shows people there is also interest in your product outside of Etsy. So, look for groups and join them. A couple I have joined recently are called My Etsy and It's Better Handmade.
Once you are there, engage. You do this by sharing your shop, your Facebook page, and your items. But, most importantly, interact with others. Network. Share the love.
3. OK, share the love. But how does that get my shop and page noticed?
Follow these steps:
1. Follow the links to what someone has posted. If it goes to their Etsy shop, then favorite the shop and their item. If their Etsy shop shows a link to a Facebook page, make the effort to visit and like that page as well.
2. When you comment on their item in the group, compliment it first and foremost. People like to hear compliments. Crafters love to hear what people like about their craft. We work hard on these items. Sure, anyone can just "like" it, but you really stand out when you say something nice about it. Then, tell them how you interacted. For example you could say, " I really love the color combinations on your purse. It looks so Spring like. I favorited your Etsy shop and the item. I've also liked your Facebook page. From so and so at then link your page so they can find you" (REMEMBER, ONLY LIKES FROM PERSONAL ACCOUNTS COUNT AS LIKES)
3. Like I said, us crafters like to help each other out, so if you like, favorite, whatever, and let the other person know, and odds are, they will return the favor! I was stuck at 97 likes for the longest time. I couldn't get anymore friends or family to help me expand out, but once I started doing this, my FB page likes have jumped to almost 150 in less than a week! Share the love!
Don't forget. Use Social Media to your advantage. Tweet. Use Instagram. Share your FB page. Blog. Do whatever you can do to make your shop visable to others. But, while you do that, remember to to share the shops and pages of others because we all want something amazing!
And because I'm still new at figuring out blogger, here are the unlinked URLs of my stuff for you to share the love. Because, when you like and favorite me, I will do the same back for you.
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/EmalieAlexander
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/EmalieAlexander
Twitter: @EmalieAlexander Instagram: emalie_alexander_creations
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